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Oak (genus Quercus), comprising approximately 469 species of ornamental and timber trees and shrubs in the beech family (Fagaceae), is a dominant woody lineage in forest ecosystems across the Northern Hemisphere.

During their herbarium specimens survey of Fagaceae in 2021, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan University found some oak materials with characteristics not seen in any known species of Quercus.

After consulting relevant literature and herbarium specimens from major herbaria in China and key international herbaria, they determined that the specimens differ from all published species of Quercus, and represent a new species.

The new species has been named Quercus zhekunii in honor of Prof. Zhou Zhekun of XTBG, a distinguished botanist who has dedicated his career to the systematics, biogeography and fossil history of East Asian Fagaceous plants and has made significant contributions to understanding Cenozoic flora changes in East Asia.

The new species was published in the Nordic Journal of Botany.

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